The 10 best signings of the Premier League offseason
No league in the history of the sport has
ever been as rich as the Premier League is now. The new TV deal, to go
along with skyrocketing commercial revenue, has every club in the
English top flight rolling in dough. Unsurprisingly, almost all of them
(sorry, Hull and Sunderland) were active this summer and using all that
money to strengthen their teams. There are still a few weeks left before
the transfer window slams shut, but who were the best signings of the
summer?
Paul Pogba to Manchester United
This one doesn't fall in the bargain
category, seeing as the €110 million fee is a new world record, but
Pogba is a great signing for Manchester United. They've been a disaster
in the central midfield for too long now and their solution was to sign
the best young central midfielder in the world. You can't find fault in
that and while the price may be mind blowing, it's not as if it's going
to be a hindrance to anything else the Red Devils want to do. Photo: Full Length/Valerio Pennicino
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Southampton
Bayern Munich signed Hojbjerg as a teenager
and early on, he was one of Pep Guardiola's favorite young players. He
never quite broke through for the Bavarian giants, but good loan spells
at Augsburg and Schalke made it abundantly clear what Guardiola saw in
him. He's a terrific player, very good on the ball and has no problem
playing central midfield in an excellent league like the Bundesliga.
Somehow, Southamtpon were able to buy Hojbjerg, who is just 21 years
old, for a mere £12 million. That's some excellent business. Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos
Ashley Williams to Everton
Everton spent most of last summer trying to
fend off Chelsea for John Stones. This time around, they were willing to
let the young defender go, sending him to Manchester City and
immediately buying Williams to replace him. Long-term, there is no
comparing the 22-year-old Stones and 31-year-old Williams, but for the
upcoming season, there's plenty of reason to believe Williams will be
the better player. He's been a very good Premier League defender for
years and is a perfect fit for new Everton manager Ronald Koeman. Plus,
they still had £35 million left over after selling Stones and buying
Williams. Photo: Stu Forster
Sadio Mane to Liverpool
Everyone knows Mane was a good player for
Southampton. He didn't have several of the league's top clubs chasing
him for no reason. The question is how good he can be for Liverpool,
because it looks like he can be spectacular. The winger looks like the
perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp's system -- a nuisance to opposing teams in
the press and an absolute terror when he gets the ball on the counter
afterward. To get a marriage of good player and perfect system is rare,
but it looks like that's what we have in Mane and Liverpool. Photo: Bryn Lennon
Nathan Redmond to Southampton
Redmond really began to find his feet in the
Premier League at Norwich last season. He scored six goals, a number
that won't blow anyone away, but it was apparent how much more
comfortable he got as the season went on and he became a real threat on
the wing. Now at Southamption, he looks set to play centrally and at 22
years old, his best years are still ahead of him. The Saints were able
to snap him up for just £10 million and it probably won't be long before
he's worth more. Photo: Stephen Pond
Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's system demands that everyone
on the team be capable of doing pretty much everything. That's
especially true in the center of the midfield, so it's no surprise that
one of his first moves was to sign Gundogan. Guardiola knows Gundogan
well, having gone up against him when the two were in the Bundesliga,
and he saw that Gundogan can do pretty much anything. He's as
well-rounded as they come and should be a great fit for Guardiola's
system, not to mention he's joining a team that really does need the
midfield help. Photo: Alexandre Simoes
Dimitri Payet was otherworldly last season,
and it's a good thing he was because West Ham had little else in the
attack. They were completely dependent on him and while the Frenchman is
back, West Ham know they need to give him help. Feghouli should do just
that, caoable of playing on the wing and cutting in or even in the
center. He should be able to provide some skill and creativity to an
attack that could use more of it. Most impressively, the Hammers were
able to get him on a free after Feghouli walked away from Valencia. Photo: ARP4292455/JEFF PACHOUD
Victor Wanyama to Tottenham
Spurs had a great year, finishing third and
booking a spot in this season's Champions league. A huge part of their
success was due to Eric Dier emerging as a good defensive midfielder,
giving them the disciplined, strong player in the center of the pitch
that they desperately needed. Dier had to play way too many matches last
season, though, and Spurs were going to ask even more of him this year.
Instead of running him into the ground, they just went out and bought
Wanyama, who they tried to sign last summer. The Southampton man is a
proven Premier League defensive midfielder who can spell Dier and also
play with the Englishman, giving Tottenham a more sturdy, even
intimidating, midfield when needed. Photo: Jordan Mansfield
N'Golo Kante to Chelsea
You could argue that no midfielder in the
Premier League was more important to his team last season than N'Golo
Kante. He was that good, blending brilliant reading of the game with a
seemingly never-ending motor. Leicester couldn't have won the title
without him and Chelsea were smart to make him their top priority this
summer. The Blues needed help in the midfield after Nemanja Matic's
dreadful season and got one of the best in Kante, who will be a good fit
at Stamford Bridge no matter what system Antonio Conte opts to use. Photo: Laurence Griffiths
Jordan Ibe to Bournemouth
It was only a year ago that Ibe was being
billed as the next Raheem Sterling. That may have been unrealistic, but
he's still shown himself to be a dangerous winger in the Premier League
and he's only 20 years old. He figures to get better and £15 million is a
big spend for Bournemouth, but a young player who has some experience
and enormous potential is exactly what the Cherries should be spending
on if they're going to stretch their budget. Photo: John Powell
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